Stan Meissner
Dangerous Games
1. I Need Your Love
2. Hide The Night Away
3. Can't Let Go
4. Once Over
5. Rebel Heart
6. No Turning Back
7. You Make It All So Easy
8. Heart Of The Fire
9. Walk Out Of My Life
10. At The Water
11. Renegade
12. Walking In The Dark
Produced by Stan Meissner and Fred Mollin
When I think back to the making of this record, my first memory is a phone call I got in 1982, from the President of A&M, asking me if I would like to record a album for the label. (I had been a staff songwriter there for a few years.) He said that he was always impressed with the sound of my demos, and that since we weren't setting the world on fire pitching my songs to others, maybe I should try recording them myself. Truly, a dream come true.
Fast forward to the next year which I spent painstakingly recording track upon track of guitar layers in the sweaty little control room of Wychwood, my home studio at the time. When I was nearly done, I remember staying up for 3 days straight, writing and recording 'Walking in The Dark', desperately trying to finish it before we went off to The Power Station in New York to mix. It was all a gruelling process, complete with its share of 80's debauchery, but it was totally a labour of love.
In addition to the tracks that were available on the original A&M version of this album, there are a few real 'rarities' which I have added. First of all, the extra piece at the end of 'I Need Your Love' was found when I listened to the original 24 track master. I thought that the way the track breaks down was so cool that I had to include it. At the end, if you listen close, you can even hear co-producer Fred Mollin telling drummer Jorn Andersen how great it was that we recorded this one on the first take.
The version of 'Heart of The Fire' is different from the one included on the original LP. We were never happy with that version because the mix barely had any bass on it and that the recording never captured the spark that the original demo once had. That demo version is included here.
'You Make It All So Easy' was recorded at Record One and Cherokee in L.A., around 1979, to be featured in the film 'Middle Age Crazy' starring Ann Margaret and Bruce Dern. It was a total gas for me because I recorded it with Jeff Porcaro (drums) and David Hungate (bass) from Toto. I was a huge fan.
'At The Water' What can I say? We were all young once. This is probably the earliest recorded song I will ever release. It was recorded in 1979 in D.D. Hill's basement and it sounds like the 8-track demo that it is. It has always been a song that I have had a certain fondness for. The keyboard part in the verse was actually played with the tone on a Korg guitar tuner, triple tracked to play the notes in the chords!
'Renegade' was recorded to be part of an album I never finished in 1987 and was previously unreleased.
Listening to this record while re-mastering for CD provided me with a unique thrill, in that I had gotten so used to the sound of the vinyl records, I had forgotten how clean the recordings actually were. This CD lets you hear it as we mixed it at The Power Station in November 1983.
Stan Meissner, 1994.
Credits
Stan Meissner - Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Paul Daiter - Bass
Jorn Andersen - Drums
Fred Mollin - Percussion
Shelby Daniel - Additional Vocal on 'I Need Your Love'
Basic tracks recorded at Manta Sound by John Naslen, assisted by Ron Searles
All overdubs recorded at The Wychwood Studio by Stan Meissner
Additional recording at Eastern Sound by Peter Mann and Mike Baskerville
and Skyline Studios, N.Y.C. by Stan Meissner
Mixed at The Power Station N.Y.C. by Scott Litt assisted by Garry Rindfuss
*Except:
'You Make It All So Easy'
Produced by Matthew McCauley
Recorded at Record One L.A. and Mixed at Cherokee, Engineered by Bobby Shaper
S.M.-Guitars & Vocals, Jeff Porcaro-Drums, David Hungate-Bass, Matthew McCauley-Keyboards
'At The Water'
Produced by Stan Meissner
Recorded and Mixed at Great Shakes, Engineered by D.D. Hill
S.M.-Guitars, Keyboards & Vocals, Gary Berman-Drums,Paul Daiter-Bass
'Renegade'
Produced by Stan Meissner
Recorded and Mixed at The Wychwood Studio, Engineered by Stan Meissner
S.M. -Guitars, Keyboards, Drums & Vocals, Anton Evans-Bass, Fred Mollin-Percussion
Original Disc Mastering by Mike Reese of The Mastering Lab, Hollywood, California
Re-Mastered for C.D. by George Graves at Lacquer Channel
Special thanks to - Tim McCauley (for assistance beyond the call of duty), Fred, Deenah, Andrew Hermant, Peter Mann, Faigie & Wilf, Barbara, Michael, Russell, 'Dangerous' David Quinton, Jeff Morrison, Jim Bralower (Simmons Drums), Joey Axe, Stingers, Gina, The McCauley Family, Matthew, the staff at The Power Station, Scott, Studio 306, David Letterman, The Carnegie Deli, Mike Reese, Mary Ann, Susan B., Sparky and Rags.
Very special thanks to - Gerry Lacoursiere (then and now), Michael Godin, Brian Chater and all at A&M for their help and support. Thanks also (for helping prepare this C.D.) to Sally Macpherson, Madonna McMannus and Nancy Glatt
Even more thanks to Sondi & Carl Dixon for making this CD a reality.
Original Art Direction & Design - David Andoff
Photography - Bruno Dayan
Masters used on this album were licensed from PolyGram Group Canada Inc. and Meissner Music Productions Inc.
Lyrics
I NEED YOUR LOVE
S. Meissner
I can't get through the night
Without wanting to hold you
I can't look in your eyes
Without wanting to break through
I need your love
Don't try to stop me
I need your love
Don't try to stop me
I don't know how you feel
But I'm ready to find out
My love's so strong
I can't keep it from breakin' out
I need your love
Don't try to stop me
I need your love
Don't try to stop me
Open up your heart
And let my love in
Give me some kind of sign
Let me know if you want me
I'm tired of waiting in line
'Cause you keep coming to haunt me
I need your love
Don't try to stop me
I need your love
Don't try to stop me
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
HIDE THE NIGHT AWAY
S. Meissner/F. Mollin
Well it's been awhile
You say you have your dreams intact
Me, I sold mine somewhere down the line
You're still as hard to read
There are sometimes I succeed
But when it came to your heart, you never gave a thing away
What will it take to break you down?
Could I make you come around
And take it back to where it used to be?
But instead, I'll try to hide the night away
Try to hide the night away
Tell myself I'll be okay
And I might just get through one more night
We shouldn't meet like this
Straining for a reminisce
You know I never liked to memorize
Forget the things we planned
They were never meant to be
With two shadows shaped like you and me
But sometimes I get weak for you
And those moments burn right through
Gets too hot for me to bear
But instead, I'll try to hide the night away
Try to hide the night away
Tell myself I'll be okay
And I might just get through one more night
And be able to stand my ground
But there seems to be
No way for me
To turn this love around
But instead, I'll try to hide the night away
Try to hide the night away
Tell myself I'll be okay
And I might just get through one more night
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
CAN'T LET GO
S. Meissner
I never really wanted you
I always heard that you were just bad news
So I did my best to try and avoid you
I was just a thing you found
You caught me with my defences down
Pulled out all your stops and you destroyed me
Now I Can't Let Go
Can't Let Go
Can't Let Go
Can't get you out of my heart
Babe you really took no time
You took my love and laid it on the line
You gave me something back I thought I could believe in
But somewhere we must have lost control
I lost the piece of my heart you stole
And all I got from you was this felling
That I Can't Let Go
Can't Let Go
Can't Let Go
Can't get you out of my heart
I looked around for inspiration
You were there to pour it out
We had more than infatuation
We had something to scream about
If I had gone the wrong direction
How come you never let me know
I have spent my whole life searching
I held it in my hands now I can't let go
You told me it would be o.k.
I guess that's easy for you to say
Sometimes you make it all seem so routine
But baby I don't feel the same
I wake up at night and I call you name
I reach out and I hold on to my dreams
'Cause I Can't Let Go
Can't Let Go
Can't Let Go
Can't get you out of my heart
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
ONCE OVER
S. Meissner/F. Mollin
How can you tell me it wasn't for real
Step into my shoes and see how bad you made me feel
I know - why you do it
Still I can't stand you putting me through it
Don't give me the once over
Don't give me the once over
That's just one step over the line
Once upon a time I let you lead
But there was no reason that I had to bleed
I know- it was easy for you to leave
But this time it's better for me to give than receive
Don't give me the once over
Don't give me the once over
That's just one step over the line
You name the place and time
I'll commit the perfect crime
Once in a while I'll think of you
Maybe something old or something brand new
I know - where you'll be
Somewhere in the night lookin' for me
Well you can seek but you'll never find
'Cause you can't go back in time
Don't give me the once over
Don't give me the once over
That's just one step over the line
©1982 Almo Music (SOCAN)
REBEL HEART
S. Meissner
Two fisted lover
In a one horse town
You weren't the first one
To try to hold me down
Faces look familiar
Places look the same
It's one way or another
Names are all that change
There's no-one that I can blame
It's always been the same
You can't tame a rebel heart
I've got a rebel heart
I've got a rebel heart
You can't tame a rebel heart
Sometimes I think I'm ready
To try and settle down
Seems like I'm movin' on
Before I turn around
Once hand in my pocket
One foot out the door
I thought I could hold on
I can't take it anymore
There's nowhere that I can turn
You think I would have learned
You can't tame a rebel heart
I've got a rebel heart
I've got a rebel heart
You can't tame a rebel heart
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
NO TURNING BACK
S. Meissner
Look at you now
Your eyes lighting up like a cat on the run
Raging right into the night
Don't look back
Or the memories will follow your every step
Haunt you at every turn
No-one is behind
They'll never find you now
As night turns into day
Dreams will fade away
No distant voices call
No echoes off the wall
No turning back
No turning back
No turning back
Where do you go
You've burned every bridge that you've crossed over
And the flames are close to your heels
Too far gone
You've hurt everyone that you've come near
Now you're starting to know how it feels
You're on your own
No-one can help you now
As night turns into day
Dreams will fade away
No distant voices call
No echoes off the wall
No turning back
No turning back
No turning back
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
YOU MAKE IT ALL SO EASY
S. Meissner
You are to me
Something more than I could ever hoped for
Hard to believe that you were around
You take my word
Yours is the sweetest name I've ever heard
And I think that time is all we need
'Cause you make it all so easy
With everything that you do
You make it all so easy
I don't think I'll get tired of you at all
You make it all so easy
With everything that you do
You make it all so easy
You take my hand
I think that I can make you understand
That I can't go wrong with your love
'Cause you help me see
The things that I've forgotten how to look for
It comes clear to me every night
'Cause you make it all so easy
With everything that you do
You make it all so easy
I don't think I'll get tired of you at all
You make it all so easy
With everything that you do
You make it all so easy
©1980 Meissongs Music/McCauley Music(SOCAN)
HEART OF THE FIRE
S. Meissner/F. Mollin
Running away just leads me closer to it
Looks like there's no way for the pieces to fit
We just never take things nice and easy
Instead, it breaks me down and it seizes me
Into the heart of the fire
We just burn and burn
In the heart of the fire
We cannot seem to learn
That we passed the point of no return
Feeling the strength of what once was so right
Keeps me hanging on to this endless night
There's no way that anyone can understand me
And I can't understand, why I have to be
In the heart of the fire
We just burn and burn
In the heart of the fire
We cannot seem to learn
That we passed the point of no return
Hold me, 'cause I will fall again
Help me, 'cause I can't stop myself
from letting you in to this burning heart
It feels so insane
You never let the love leave all the pain
It felt so good when the passion took our hearts
But the passion turned to poison
And the flame's about to start
In the heart of the fire
We just burn and burn
In the heart of the fire
We cannot seem to learn
That we passed the point of no return
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
WALK OUT OF MY LIFE
S. Meissner/F. Mollin
You walked out of my life about a year or so ago
It's hard to recall just why
But here you are, walking slowly towards me
With that lonely look in your eyes
I can't give in
I know I'll never win
This game of will that we're playing for keeps
Walk out of my life
Walk on out the door
You can walk out on the water
Or walk on my dreams
Just walk out of my life once more
You wanna talk?
Well there's no talking me out of this
Maybe I just don't wanna hear
Turning you away
Never came to me easily
But this time I'm standing clear
I've got my own time
And I've got my own mind
But I've gotta keep trying to stay away from the pain
Walk out of my life
Walk on out the door
You can walk out on the water
Or walk on my dreams
Just walk out of my life once more
What can I tell you, when there's not much to say
Sometimes love has to end this way
Walk out of my life, Walk on out the door
You can walk on the water or walk on my dreams
You can't call it love 'cause that's not what love means
I'll tell you again it can't be like before
Just walk out of my life once more.
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
AT THE WATER
S. Meissner
Nobody's right, nobody's wrong
We could talk it out but I can't wait that long
Feet on the ground, head in my hands
Cold hearts won't erase your letters in the sand
Talk about your future that you can't wait until
Chase your dreams while I'm here still as the water
I'll be waiting
At the water
Where are you?
You came to me as if in a dream
Now I can see the light in the holes behind the screen
One night I recall by the old carousel
I heard secrets you thought you'd never tell
Now I hear you complaining
That you don't get much time
You're out all night but me
Well, I'm at the water
I'll be waiting
At the water
Where are you?
Feel like jumpin' in the water
Without a safety line
Fell like diving ten times babe
And comin up only nine
At the water
Where are you?
©1979 Meissongs Music (SOCAN)
RENEGADE
S. Meissner/F. Mollin
You lit a candle and you let it burn
Till there was nothing left but history
Another lesson I tried to learn
But after all this time your love's still a mystery
But I can't reach you now
No matter how hard I try
One look in your eyes
And I know
You're a renegade
Running trough the night
You're a renegade
And you won't give up without a fight
This dream that never ends
Shoots like steel and cuts right trough the heart of me
But this time I lose again
No matter what I do
Baby you're still a part of me
And I can't let go now
I shine a light across the night
Hoping it'll lead you home
But I know
You're a renegade
Running trough the night
You're a renegade
And you won't give up without a fight
I've been waiting for the calm before the storm
And I can feel the winds of change
Coming 'round here again
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
WALKING IN THE DARK
S. Meissner
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
I'm alone
And I am tired
I'm caught between darkness and the light
My eyes are shut
But my mind is open
And I hear someone calling in the night
I don't want to fight the way I feel
I just want to find the love that's real
You show me the flame behind the spark
Till then I will be walking in the dark
Am I awake
Or am I dreaming
I hear footsteps but they sound like they're my own
Feels like I'm caught
Here in the shadows
And I can't find the way to get back home
I don't want to fight the way I feel
I just want to find the love that's real
You show me the flame behind the spark
Till then I will be walking in the dark
©1984 Almo Music (SOCAN)
Lyrics reprinted by permission
Stan Meissner - Discography
1984 -'Dangerous Games' on A&M Records
1986 -'Windows To Light' on A&M Records
1992 -'Undertow' on Duke St/MCA Records
1994 - C.D. re-issues of 'Dangerous Games' and 'Windows To Light' - Long Island Records
1999-'Metropolis' on MTM Music